Millennial Women Are More Likely to Live at Home

by Anne Middleton, on December 21st, 2015

Today, more young women live with their parents than they did seventy years ago when it was commonplace for girls to stay at home after high school until they were married.

• In 1940, 36.2% of 18-34 year-old women lived with parents or other relatives.
• In 1960, only 24% of adult children were living at home
• In 2014, 36.4% of young women are living with family members

This group of female millennials has failed to move away from the convenience of catered meals by mom and free access to a washing machine.

Originally, this trend of returning to live at home was thought to be a casualty of the economic collapse. In 2012, less than two-thirds of millennials were employed  and said they didn’t have enough money live the life they wanted on their own.

But now, even with the economic recovery over the past few years, there has been little effect on the percentage of millennials living at home. The Pew Research Center released a report showing that even as young adult unemployment rates have declined, there is actually a trend of young Americans moving home.

The research suggests this trend is due to two key factors:

1. A rise in college attendance and a delay in marriage

2. Rising housing costs combined with an unprecedented student debt. The Sallie Mae report found that more than half of college students lived at home to defray the costs of higher education.  For every $10,000 a young adult owes in student debt, he or she is 2 percentage points more likely to move home. 


So what’s the solution if you are young, female and tired of living under the same roof as your parents? 

Most high-paying jobs require advanced education, a lot of talent and a lot of work -- or a combination of all three traits. It's not something that people usually fall into. Put yourself on the path to a high-paying job by following this expert advice from Monster.com to land a higher paying job:

Cross-train. In your current job, put yourself in a position to expand your skill set by taking on broader responsibilities that will make you more attractive as a candidate or will set you up for a promotion and increase in pay.

Develop “soft skills.” Achieving a well-paying leadership position is about more than being technically good at your job. You also need to have excellent verbal and nonverbal communications skills, the ability to work well as part of a team and a reputation as someone who keeps their cool under pressure.

Network strategically -- online and off. High-paying jobs are often filled through personal networking. Long before there's an official opening for a job, you want to build your reputation in your industry. Volunteering for industry trade associations, speaking at conferences and/or publishing a blog are all great ways to demonstrate your expertise and establish yourself as a front-runner.


Positioning yourself to land -- and keep -- a high-paying job takes time and effort, but it's worth it in the long run. Self-development and smart interviewing will go a long way.

Monster.com is not just a leading employment website, it offers a comprehensive Resource Center featuring articles, tips and advice to help you achieve your career goals. Monster.com provides guidance from actual Human Resource executives and other professionals to help find and land you a job that fulfills your passion with the pay scale you deserve.

 

 

 

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1. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/11/record-share-of-young-women-are-living-with-their-parents-relatives/

2. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/08/01/a-rising-share-of-young-adults-live-in-their-parents-home/?beta=true&utm_expid=53098246-2.Lly4CFSVQG2lphsg-KopIg.1

3. https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2015/october/millennials-living-home-student-debt-housing-labor

4. http://news.salliemae.com/files/doc_library/file/HowAmericaPaysforCollege2014FNL.pdf